Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-11-18

=. : II IL eigl4t hnll., Mr. Small. aud
call the watch shouted Captain Flagg.
in >tcntorian voice, as a Glance at his
old-fashioncd time-piccc showed that it
was four O'Clock p. III.
The chief mate shut W his iack-knife
reluctantly, rose to his feet. and. dust
inc off his tarry trousers with great de
liberation. struck eight rc>ounding
strokes on the small bell for ard. Then.
longing aft, he relieved the wheel,
and. seated on the rudder-hcad. steered
with one hand. while the other abscntly
fingered his jack-knifc in his pocket.
Captain Flag now trok a seat on the
edge of the little trunk cabin, yawned.
squinted his eye toward the western
horizon. where the sun was going down
in a great sea of purple and gold, and
patronizingly beckoned to Tad, who,
with some ditlidence, sat down beside
the ancient mariner.
"Like your shipmates in the port
watch pretty well, my lad?" inquired
the Captain. kindly.
With shy glance at unconscious
Polly. who was tantalizing Bounce by
swinging the big sun-bonnct by the
strings, before his nose, Tad said he
liked EN- ever so much.
"That's proper" approvingly re-
sponded Captain Flagg. land mind that
you learn all you can from 'em. Eph
is tremen'us smart sailor" continued
the Captain. lowering his voice as he
regarded the youth in question, land
what he don't know about ships du.
ties and reggerlations amt worth
KNOWN"
AS Tad's eyes involuntarily followed
the direction of the Captains gaze, he
secretly wondered whether it was &c
ccntricity that prompted Mr.. Small to
wear faded calico shirt, 4 battered
SLOUGH hat, tattered vest and dingy
canvas trousers. For Tad's idea of :
sailors rig was derived from the one
or two highly-wrought nautical tale:
which he had read in his life. HI
fancied that in all climates and wealth
ers, Jack Tar wore little glazed blacl
hat with long ribbons, and blue jack
ct respondent with brass buttons, blu'
trousers, silk stockings and low-quar
tered shoes.
"But he's the-thc greatest chap tt
white ever see in my life" pursued
Captain Flagg, meditatively-" the Der.
greatest"
Polly, who overheard the remark
laughed gayly in the depths of her sun
bonnet
"Hc's got half bunch of loose shin
giles in the bottom of his bunk, that h
saved from our last deck-load, AM
takes out fresh one every time he goe
below-that's where George Washing
ton gets his kindlings for the galley
stove FROM" she remarked, demurely
1.-The most I'm afeared Of" observes
her father, in confidential whisper
sis that his usin' of a jack-knife s.
much might get the vessel into som
sech scrape as the Of British Eas
Indy ship 'Win'sor Castle got int
once whilst l was a sailor"
"What was that, sirp" eagerly in
quired Polly, knowing full well what
repository for the material out of whicl
sea-yarns were spun was her father
manly chest.
"Well," slowly returned the Captain
"near's I can remember, the story
this: The ship was on her home-boun
passage from Chiny, an got becalme
for two or three days somewhere on tn
'quator. So, it bein' hot, and the sailc
to the wheel bein' absent-minded sol
of a chap, what does he do but OF
knife and cut his namc-'James "
Dunn'-along on the rim of the m'hos
any wheelr' Here Captain Flagg en-
phasized the enormity of the offense b
portentOus shake of the head, an
went on:
$50, when the Gap'n came on dccl
there was pretty row. He claps Jill
in irons, and d're'tly they got int
port, had him rested, and the onl
way poor Jim could get out of it wa
by paying for bran'-new Wheel"
''That was too badr' interjected Tat
who was eagerly listening.
''WeM - yes assented Capital
Flagg, who had curious way of som,
times combining the practical an
scriptural when occasion offered, "br
it goes tc show, Thaddeus, that-the-
IA ~